Crouch eager to prove his worth

England striker Peter Crouch is determined to make it impossible for Fabio Capello to leave him out of his squad for the World Cup next year.

Crouch has an amazing record of 16 goals from 17 starts and he could get another chance on Saturday in the friendly against Brazil in Qatar, especially as Emile Heskey and Carlton Cole are injured.

"If you can score and win against Brazil the manager will believe you can do it in a big tournament," he said. "Brazil are one of the top five teams in the world so to put in a good performance will be fantastic for your aspirations of making the side for the World Cup."

Crouch wants to keep a low profile off the pitch for the rest of the season to give himself the best chance of making South Africa.

Crouch was pictured in a nightclub celebrating Tottenham's win over Portsmouth last month and although his club did not have a game for another week, he was in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Capello has not spoken to Crouch about the incident, like Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has, but the Italian is known as a disciplinarian so the 28-year-old will not be taking any more chances.

Redknapp's reaction to Crouch being pictured is another illustration of the human touch the Spurs boss has, in comparison to his former boss Rafael Benitez, who has been cast as a cold manager who rarely praises his players. The same, however, could be said about Capello.

"Harry wears his heart on his sleeve and will tell you if you're playing crap," Crouch said. "Benitez isn't like that and might not rip into you as much, or pat you on the back.

"Benitez is the type of manager, similar to the England manager perhaps. You do have to work hard to get a 'well done'. That's the way Rafa plays it, and he's done exceptionally well. I'd rather have Harry's approach. It's easier to deal with someone like Harry because he's so open. I can go and talk to him and he can explain to him why I'm left out and if I'm playing well. Rafa keeps his cards to his chest."